Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina x Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula hybrid

The first photos of a hybrid Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid I saw from Pontefract Park showed a striking pink-billed bird, but the bird I saw here first was a much subtler affair. Easy to overlook as a Tufted Duck, the orange on the top of the head appeared and disappeared according to the light and although good views revealed the back to be slightly paler than on Tufted Duck, this was not immediately obvious. I speculated that this might be a backcross with Tufted Duck rather than a first generation hybrid.

Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid, Pontefract Park (West Yorkshire, UK), 9th February 2023

I revisited the site the following year. Compared to the bird above, the orange on the head was more obvious and the back was more obviously pale and browner. Given that on both birds these characters varied according to the light, I wondered if it was possible that they were indeed the same bird, however I don't think they were - this one has a more extensive black tip to the bill apart from anything. On this bird the bill colour altered according to the light and/or angle to observer. Most of the time it looked blue without a hint of pink or red, but at some angles it looked clearly pink, at least at the base. I am more convinced that this one could be a first-generation hybrid, though it is clearly less pink-billed than the original bird seen here in January 2022 (not seen by me). Perhaps it is another backcrossed hybrid, a sibling of the bird above, but I'm not sure it isn't within range for a first generation hybrid.

Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid, Pontefract Park (West Yorkshire, UK), 19th February 2024